Bludger

A Bludger was the ball used in the game of Quidditch to be hit onto the players of the opponent teams. Beaters specifically hit Bludgers in a game with the help of a club.

Mohandas Alva

Article written by Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Bludgers were very heavy and were bewitched to follow players and hit them mid-air when they played the wizarding sport of Quidditch. Beaters also hit Bludgers toward opposing players to distract them from scoring points in the case of chasers, distracting saves in the case of the keeper, and catching the golden snitch in the case of seekers. While there were strict regulations and contingencies for the prevention of tampering with Bludgers mid-game, the house-elf Dobby was able to bewitch the Bludger in one of the games to attack Harry Potter alone. This is probably because there is very little foresight for such a situation ever occurring.

History 

Before the standard bludgers were used in Quidditch, early bludgers were just rocks bewitched to chase players mid-air as the game progressed. However, this presented a major problem as most rocks would disintegrate at the force applied by the beater’s bat. These rocks, called blooders, would eventually turn into gravel and continue to chase the players, making it very difficult and inefficient. Eventually, the blooders were replaced by bludgers made of lead, which, although considered an improvement at first, turned out to be a mistake eventually. Since the beater’s bats were reinforced with spells and enchantments to make them durable enough to withstand heavy force, the lead bludgers would sustain dents over time and fly off-course, making them inefficient.

These dents also curved the trajectories of the bludgers, making them extremely unpredictable. Finally, all bludgers came to be made of solid iron for their durability. This part of history about how bludgers came to be, from lead to iron, was discovered by Agatha Chubb, an expert in ancient wizarding artifacts. She discovered around a dozen lead bludgers later found to be from the sixteenth century across Great Britain and Ireland, buried in an English peat bog and some marshes. Her research led to an understanding of how Quidditch and the bludger evolved over the years from being made out of lead to iron. It was also mentioned in the book Quidditch Through the Ages written by Kennilworthy Whisp and in the real-world book with the same name written by J. K. Rowling herself.

Etymology

Bludger is probably an improvement on its older name blooder, the bewitched rocks that were used instead of the bludger ball to play Quidditch. Bludger could also be influenced by the word bludgeon, which means to hurt someone very badly. The noun form of bludgeon also refers to a club or stick, which is probably where the verb comes from.

Bludgers and Quidditch 

A bludger used in modern Quidditch has a ten-inch diameter and is a heavy black iron ball bewitched to chase players mid-game when they fly. Two bludgers are used in every game of Quidditch. In Quidditch, there are two other balls – the Quaffle and the Golden Snitch. While the chasers take the Quaffle towards the goal hoops, the beater’s job is to make sure that their teammates are not attacked by bludgers and to focus on beating the bludgers toward members of the opponent Quidditch team, especially the opposing chaser who is in possession of the Quaffle. The seekers are assigned the task of catching the Golden Snitch.

There are several fouls that can be committed in Quidditch, including Snitchnip, which is when some player other than the seeker tries to catch or touches the Snitch. The referee is a very useful member to be present because players can sometimes get very rash with bludgers and beating bats.

Appearances of Bludgers in the Harry Potter Universe

Bludgers first appeared in the Harry Potter books when Oliver Wood got the entire Quidditch set to the field to show Harry how Quidditch worked and to explain the rules of the game. Wood started with the Quaffle, then moved on to the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch.

In the first match that Gryffindor played against Slytherin in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry was almost attacked by a bludger, and some of the Gryffindor players were attacked by a bludger too. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby bewitches a bludger to only attack Harry as he wants Harry to be safe at home. Despite Fred and George Weasley protecting Harry from the bludger by surrounding him, eventually, when Harry catches the Snitch, the average speed of the rogue bludger matches Harry’s deceleration, and Harry gets knocked off his Nimbus 2000. Harry’s arm is badly hurt, and Gilderoy Lockhart makes it worse by chanting a strange spell. 

In later books, too, Bludgers make regular appearances in every Quidditch game. 

Dodgeball in the Air

The rules of most games can usually be subsets of other games as there are instances of some games being inspired by or derived from others. For example, games like Hockey, Soccer, and Handball are similar yet different in small details.

While Quidditch is a unique game in its own right played by witches and wizards, it is interesting to see that the bludgers are used for a specific purpose, and this subset of the game can be rephrased as ‘dodgeball in the air.’ Dodgeball is a game where players have to dodge balls thrown at them with force.

The beaters’ task is the same as the people throwing the dodgeballs, and the opponent players who have to escape the bludgers play the role of the ones dodging the ball. This is an interesting intersection between the rules of the muggle game of dodgeball and the magical game of Quidditch.

FAQs

What spell did Hermione use on the rogue bludger?

Hermione used the spell Finite Incantatem to make the rogue bludger stop attacking Harry. The bludger had already attacked Harry once, causing him to be knocked off his broom but continued to try to hurt him. Therefore, Hermione used the spell-blocking curse to prevent the magic of whoever was bewitching the bludger from stopping. It is later found out that it was Dobby, the house-elf, who was tampering with the bludger as he was concerned for Harry’s safety and wanted to hurt Harry enough to send him home, away from Hogwarts.

Can you hit bludger at a player?

Yes, the sole purpose of bludgers is for them to be hit at players of opponent teams to knock them off their brooms. However, there are strict rules for who can hit bludgers at whom. Bludgers can be hit at anyone, although it is only useful when hit at the players of the opponent teams to distract them or knock them off their brooms. Bludgers must only be hit by beaters as that is their only function in the Quidditch match other than protecting their teammates from oncoming bludgers. Also, bludgers should not be touched with anything else except the beater’s bat.

How did Harry lose the bones in his arm?

After being severely injured with a fractured bone in his arm, Harry was in a lot of pain. Despite having caught the snitch, he was attacked by a rogue bludger immediately after that, which caused the fracture. However, before he was considered to be taken to the hospital wing, Gilderoy Lockhart decided to showcase his ‘abilities’. Sadly, instead of curing the fracture, he just made the bones in Harry’s hands disappear. Madam Pomfrey was displeased with this careless choice of Professor Lockhart because it was a very painful process to regrow bones, and Harry had to stay in the hospital for the whole night.

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Harry Potter Quiz

Summon your wit and wisdom—our Harry Potter Trivia Quiz awaits you! Do you have the knowledge to claim the title of Master Witch or Wizard? Take the challenge now!

1) In which Harry Potter book does Harry first speak Parseltongue?

2) In the "Order of the Phoenix," who is NOT a member of the original Order of the Phoenix shown in the old photograph that Moody shows Harry?

3) What was the last Horcrux to be destroyed?

4) What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?

5) Which potion did Hermione brew in her second year that allowed her, Ron, and Harry to assume the identities of Slytherins?

6) Which creature can transform into a person's worst fear?

7) Which character is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts?

8) Which spell is used to open the Marauder's Map?

9) What is the name of the goblin who helps Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts?

10) What does the Mirror of Erised show?

11) What is the name of the goblin-made object that is supposed to bring its owner prosperity, but also brings them into conflict with goblins?

12) What is the name of the book Hermione gives to Harry before his first ever Quidditch match?

13) Who was the Peverell brother that owned the invisibility cloak?

14) What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?

15) What potion is known as "Liquid Luck"?

16) What animal represents Hufflepuff house?

17) What specific type of dragon does Harry face during the Triwizard Tournament?

18) What creature is Aragog?

19) What is the effect of the Cheering Charm?

20) What does the incantation "Obliviate" do?

21) What is Dumbledore's full name?

22) What is the core ingredient of the wand owned by Harry Potter?

23) Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

24) What is the name of the train that takes students to Hogwarts?

25) What are the dying words of Severus Snape in both the book and the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

26) Who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts?

27) Who originally owned the Elder Wand before Dumbledore won it?

28) Which object is NOT one of the Deathly Hallows?

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Mohandas Alva

About Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Mohandas is very passionate about deciphering the nature of language and its role as a sole medium of storytelling in literature. His interests sometimes digress from literature to philosophy and the sciences but eventually, the art and craft of narrating a significant story never fail to thrill him.

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